1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of determining a routing path in a communication network in which a plurality of logical networks selectively shares a physical network, and more particularly to such a method of determining a routing path of data, in which multiple routing paths from a source node to a destination node are created based on a change in the dynamic state of a plurality of nodes constituting a logical network, and routing costs for the created multiple routing paths are calculated based on a routing registration message received from the plurality of nodes, and a process time transition value and a transmission time transition value shared by the plurality of nodes.
2. Background of the Related Art
Recently, the amount of Information technology (IT) cost and the scale of an information system are increasing exponentially across the world along with an increase in the demand for an information system. An increase in the cost for the information system triggers an interest in efficiency of the IT investment, and thus there is a need for a variety of technologies to solve this.
Among them, one is a network virtualization technology. Many related researches are in progress with a solution for accepting a multi-network structure in a single infrastructure, starting from the concept that a plurality of networks logically separated from one another can coexist based on a shared network system. A network infrastructure is divided into a plurality of logical networks and is defined in order to efficiently utilize a limited communication network resource using the network virtualization technology or ensure the quality for a specific communication network-based service.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which a network infrastructure is constructed so as to be shared by a plurality of logical networks based on a network virtualization technology.
Referring to FIG. 1(a), the plurality of logical networks shares a network infrastructure, i.e., a physical network. For example, logical networks 1 to 3 are constructed to share some of nodes constituting the physical network. A logical network 1 shares some nodes to be used together with a logical network 2 or a logical network 3. The data process and data transmission capabilities of the nodes shared by the plurality of logical networks are dynamically changed depending on the number of shared logical networks, the degree of function that each logical network can perform, and the like.
Referring to FIG. 1(b), logical networks 1 to 3 are constructed to share a node A of a physical network with each other. If the transmission of large-capacity data increases in the logical networks 1 to 3, the data process or data transmission capability of the node A are dynamically changed depending on the number of shared logical networks, the kind of services, or the kind of data transmitted and received in the logical networks.
In an example of a method for determining a routing path in a conventional communication network, a source node receives information on the state of each node from each of nodes positioned on a routing path, and calculates routing costs for the routing paths from the source node to a destination node based on the received state information, thereby forwarding data through a routing path with the lowest routing cost.
However, the conventional routing path determining method entails a problem in that the routing path is determined from a routing path employing a one-dimensional graph structure considering only a connection state of the nodes, resulting in failure in reflecting a change in the dynamic state of nodes shared by the plurality of logical networks. In addition, such a conventional routing path determining method involves a drawback in that each time when a routing path is determined in each of the plurality of logical networks, each node of the logical network is required to transmit various items of routing information, including data process time, data transmission time, logical network identifier, and the like, to a source node, and thus such a method is undesirable in terms of efficient use of a limited resource, and much time is spent to determine the routing path.